LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- Discovery has altered its 2011 plans as the cable channel has confirmed new launch dates and time periods for several of its previously announced series.

Here's a breakdown of the various changes:

-- Newcomers "Sons of Guns" and "Desert Car Kings" will now spearhead the network's Wednesday lineup beginning January 26 at 9:00/8:00c and 10:00/9:00c, respectively. "Kings" was previously targeted for Fridays at 9:00/8:00c starting January 28 while "Guns" had been set to roll out on Wednesday, January 12 at 10:00/9:00c.

-- "Black Ops Brothers: Howe & Howe Tech" is also heading to Wednesday nights. The series, which had been running on Mondays at 10:00/9:00c, will shift to Wednesdays at 8:00/7:00c effective immediately with the next original episode set for January 5.

-- The aforementioned changes bump fellow newcomer "Flying Wild Alaska" to Fridays at 9:00/8:00c starting January 14, leading into current hit "Gold Rush: Alaska" at 10:00/9:00c. Said hour was previously set for Wednesdays at 9:00/8:00c beginning January 5.

-- Once "Gold Rush" wraps on February 18, look for the return of "American Loggers" on Friday, February 25 at 10:00/9:00c.

-- Also due in February: the return of "Man vs. Wild" and the debut of "Out of the Wild: Venezuela." Said duo will air Thursdays at 9:00/8:00c and 10:00/9:00c, respectively, starting February 17. "Venezuela" follows nine ordinary Americans as they try to travel across Venezuela's vast wilderness and make it back to civilization alive.

-- And finally, newbies "Hogs Wild" and "Wild Animal Repo," both set to launch on Sunday, January 16, have flipped time periods with "Repo" now leading off the night at 9:00/8:00c followed by "Hogs" at 10:00/9:00c.

The aforementioned revisions won't affect current entries "American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior" (Mondays at 9:00/8:00c), "Auction Kings" (Tuesdays at 10:00/9:00c), "Dirty Jobs" (Tuesdays at 9:00/8:00c), "Gold Rush: Alaska" (Fridays at 10:00/9:00c) or the premiere of "Kidnap & Rescue" (Saturdays at 10:00/9:00c starting January 29).

Meanwhile, network sibling Animal Planet has booked a trio of premieres:

-- "Must Love Cats," in which cat-obsessed host and musician John Fulton "takes a deep dive into some of the most unique people, places and things the feline world has to offer," will launch on Saturday, February 12 at 8:00/7:00c.

-- "World's Deadliest Towns," featuring large-predator expert Dave Salmoni as he explores "the disappearing, delicate balance between the wild and human worlds," will debut as a full night event on Monday, February 21 with three back-to-back episodes beginning at 8:00/7:00c.

-- Lastly, "Fatal Attractions" rejoins the schedule on Sunday, February 13 at 10:00/9:00c before moving to its regular Friday, 9:00/8:00c time period on February 18.